JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – To adjust for COVID-19, AAUW-Jamestown and the board for TechSavvy & STEMTastic made the decision to go virtual for their event in 2021.

Co-chair Erica Althoff says TechSavvy & STEMTastic is usually a hands-on program for area students to experience firsthand how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can lead to exciting careers.

Althoff says the event would usually bring in STEM professionals for a daylong, STEM immersion event. They could see upwards of 500 students every year.

Rather than cancel the event, she says the board formed a virtual option for area schools to partake in.

Teachers could then take the materials and present them to their students at their discretion with some guidance from the board. The program began in Mid-March and Althoff says they look to have all sessions done by May.

This year, workshops were conducted on How Wetlands Work by Ducks Unlimited, Coding with Microsoft staff, Building a Cantilever by Apex Engineering, and healthcare focused with Lifetime Vision 20/20.

Schools partcipating this year include Montpelier, Pingree-Buchanan, Medina, Litchville-Marion, Gackle-Streeter, Hillcrest Academy, Kensal, and Edgeley. Schools participate at no-cost due to funding from AAUW Jamestown, University of Jamestown, Montpelier Public School, ND STEM Ecosystem, and Gateway to Science.

Althoff says they hope to return to an in-person event at the University of Jamestown in 2022.

For more information on STEMTastic and TechSavvy, visit www.techsavvynd.org or like us on Facebook at Jamestown ND STEM Day.

Listen to a full Let’s Talk About It with Erica Althoff below: